Ms Wan Azizah told local media that officials are investigating whether the parents approved the marriage due to poverty.

She said an initial investigation found that the girl, who does not attend school, was wooed twice and that her mother had told the man she was too young and asked for the marriage to be consummated only when she turns 16.

She also said the girl’s elder brother was grappling with juvenile problems, adding to the complexity of the issue.

“Paedophilia, child exploitation, child pornography … we must be firm on this as children are our responsibility,” she was quoted as saying.

Activists have urged the government to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18.

The UN children’s agency, Unicef, called the latest child marriage “shocking and acceptable”.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia expressed concern that allowing child marriage in the name of religion might “provide cover for paedophiles and child sexual predators”.

The National Human Rights Society said government data showed there were as many as 15,000 Malaysian child brides in 2010 and called for laws to criminalise child marriage to protect minors.